I went through a period recently...

...when I had three flat tires in the space of about ten days. (Don't ask.) Each time, I went to Just Tires, in Morton Grove, which is an excellent business. (Full disclosure: I don't own any stock in this company, as far as I know.)

I have a couple of observations in regard to my experience. First of all, you don't want the proprietor of Just Tires to know you by name. Having the guy behind the desk light up when you walk through the door and say, "Hey Mr. Tracy! How are you today?" is not necessarily a good thing. It means you are hanging out at the tire store too much. Your life is out of balance.

It reminded me a little of when my next door neighbor had his second fire and he and the fire chief recognized each other.

"Weren't you here for my last fire?" my neighbor asked him.

"I think so, Mr. Wold."

I tried to tell my neighbor that some people might think it's a red flag when the fireman knows your name: it means you're having too many fires.

My other observation is about actually working in the tire business. It's a perfectly respectable profession, and Just Tires does a great job. But once when I was waiting in line, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between the couple in front of me and the guy behind the counter. He was explaining the various tires that would be appropriate for their car. (The store has dozens of tires mounted on the walls for your perusal. To the uninitiated, like me, they all just look like a bunch of tires with marginally different tread patterns.)

I then heard him say something to the effect of, "Yeah, that one over there is my favorite tire."

And I thought, can you imagine being so immersed in the World of Tires that you have a favorite one?